I have HUGE news, Friend. Tom Suozzi just decisively won the special election to replace disgraced Representative George Santos in Congress.

Support from grassroots environmentalists like you is what made this possible — thank you.

LCV Victory Fund is proud to have gone all in to flip this seat — hopefully just the first of many House seats we’ll flip in 2024 to return pro-environment, pro-democracy candidates to the majority.

Here are three key takeaways from the race as we continue digging into the election returns:

• Ground game matters: LCV Victory Fund invested over $700,000 in a traditional paid canvass talking to voters at their doors as well as an innovative relational (friend-to-friend) organizing campaign in the Queens part of the district. Current results show Suozzi winning with 62% of the vote in Queens — 10 points higher than the Democratic candidate in 2022. Our field program focused on getting people out to vote early — helping voters make plans to vote starting on the first day of early voting.
• Environmental issues are on voters’ minds: Both new polling out today and our own experience at the doors indicated voters’ concerns about environmental issues, including the impacts of climate change and clean water. Our canvassers spoke with voters concerned about flooding, extreme weather, and water quality. This firsthand experience is backed up by a new PPP poll conducted this past weekend and released for the first time here. Key findings include: 
  • Tom Suozzi’s vote for the landmark clean energy plan known as the Inflation Reduction Act made 39% of voters polled more likely to support him (versus 21% less likely).
  • Suozzi’s belief in the science of climate change and his work to reduce carbon pollution made 41% of voters more likely to vote for him (versus 21% less likely).
  • The issue of removing lead drinking water pipes was rated as important by over 70% of voters when thinking about their vote for Congress, including 41% who said it was extremely important.
• Suozzi’s climate message puts Republicans in a tight spot: Tom Suozzi talked about taking on polluters from his very first ad in the campaign, and he connected his support for climate action, including voting for the Inflation Reduction Act, to resources and infrastructure that directly benefit the people in his district.

With your support, we are excited to help apply the key lessons learned from this race to competitive House races across the country this fall.

We’ll be in touch soon with more information about our plans to elect a pro-environment, pro-democracy majority this November, and ways that you can help. In fact, you can help to jump start our campaigns by making a gift right now.

Onward,

Pete Maysmith
Senior Vice President, Campaigns
LCV Victory Fund
  Paid for by LCV Victory Fund, www.lcvvictoryfund.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.